The second speaker was Mike Gendron, founder of Proclaiming The Gospel Ministries, a ministry established in 1991 to serve and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by equipping and encouraging Christians to proclaim the Gospel clearly, faithfully and effectively. The ministry also exposes the fatal errors of Roman Catholicism and apostate Christianity, along with other faith movements such as the Emerging Church, Purpose Driven Church and the Church Growth Movement. They also proclaim the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ and exhort believers to contend earnestly for the faith until that glorious day.

Mike's topic at our conference was "The Truth of the Bible" (watch). Considered an expert on Christian doctrine, he did a masterful job of defending the Bible as the revealed Word of God.

Mike Gendron on the Truth of the Bible

"Why should anyone believe the Bible?" Are you prepared to give a persuasive answer to a skeptic that asks you that question?

Just 10 years ago it was only the non-Christians that were asking that question, but now we've got many professing Christians within the Emerging Church Movement that are asking the question, "Why should anyone believe the Bible?" That is because they are denying the authority of God's Word. They say that truth is subjective, it is relative, and anyone's truth is just as valid as another person's truth. How would you respond to these misguided comments? We are hearing them more and more, this movement is invading the Church of Jesus Christ. I hope to answer some of those questions for you.

Is there evidence to support that the Bible really is the Word of God? Is the truth of the Bible authoritative and trustworthy? And, what truths are we responsible for knowing and also sharing with others?

The Bible is what God says, religion is what man says God says. I am really tired of people listening to what man says God says. We need to direct people back to the source for truth — the Word of God. So, when a person looks out on all the religious books that there are, we ask, "What religious book is the best authority for truth?"

The world is picking up many different religious books. I want to share with you what I believe are ten ways that the Bible stands alone, that the Bible is unique when it comes to all the religious books of the world.

The Uniqueness of the Bible — Ways 1-2

Uniqueness #1 — Divine Origin

The first way that the Bible is unique is in its divine origin. The authors claim that their words were inspired by God. We see that in 2 Timothy 3:16, "All Scripture is inspired by God." Keep in mind that it is the Word of God that is inspired, not the writers. And so, when you read the Bible, you are reading one voice. It is the voice of God. In fact, the authors even claimed that they spoke for God. The phrase, "thus says the Lord" occurs almost 500 times throughout Scripture.

With these claims we would expect then that the Bible would meet or exceed the highest standards for accuracy.

Uniqueness #2 — Unique in Unity and Harmony

The second claim the Bible has is that it is unique in its unity and harmony. God commissioned 40 different authors from all walks of life, over a period of 1500 years on three continents to write the 66 books of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation, the writers are united in truth to reveal a complex drama about God's redemption of man from eternity past to eternity future.

Think just how incredible this is! If you went down to a street corner in Plano and asked 40 different people that walked by what is the central theme of the Bible, you would get 40 different opinions. But here, you have these 40 men separated by 1500 years all agreeing in unity and harmony on what the word of God is.

In the next segment on the "Truth of the Bible," Mike Gendron looks at three more ways the Bible is unique.

Resource

Defending the Faith June 2010 Conference DVD AlbumGet back to the Word and the absolute essentials of the Christian faith by learning how to defend what you believe in this 6-part conference album!

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

I have been a Christian for over 30 years. I have received words from JEHOVAH to write down that He has put his very own signature of approval upon as his very own words without flaw. "These are my words. My signature is upon what you have written.". So although the Bible (a collection of inspired, God breathed books, over 2 thousand plus years old) has been left to mankind for instruction on salvation and righteous living and knowledge of God, it is however in my experience not the only Book which does so. God is alive and well and seated on the throne of Heaven today. God is not taking a 2 thousand year old nap, He is still speaking through divinely inspired writers today and probably all along. The problem is that the Church has become so comfortable and lazy that they are not willing to incorporate new material. It is too much trouble or they don't trust that the Holy Spirit is also alive and well today and can sort out truth from lie.

Deuteronomy 13:4 Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

Joshua 1:7 Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:18 Whosoever he be that shall rebel against thy commandment, and shall not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of good courage.

Prov 30:5 Every word of God is tried: He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.6 Add thou not unto his words, Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

Revelation 22:18For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

vs.19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and [from] the things which are written in this book